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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27532630">Slipping</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mantabanter/pseuds/mantabanter'>mantabanter</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Bad Things Happen [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, F/M, Secret Caretaking, injured</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 06:53:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>835</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27532630</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mantabanter/pseuds/mantabanter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>An akuma made of ice, scorned and in pain, attacks the fox for tricking her with illusions of her lover. As is his nature, the cat got in the way.</p><p>First prompt of the Bad Things Happen bingo. Alyadrien!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Alya Césaire</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Bad Things Happen [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2012386</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Slipping</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Waking up felt like a crushing anvil hitting his chest. He immediately started coughing... phlegm? blood? He couldn't tell. His mouth tasted horrible, his whole body ached, the world was blurry and dark. Probably because his eyes hadn't had the chance to open yet. As Adrien's body convulsed, a pair of hands frantically came to hold him down. </p><p><br/>
"Easy cowboy..." it was a familiar voice. Too familiar. Where was he exactly? "It's okay Adrien, I'm here."</p><p><br/>
Adrien tried to summon memories. Akuma battle. A woman made of ice. Ladybug yelling. Rena Rouge was there. A spear of light came hurtling towards the two of them, and... he got hit, he presumed. He couldn't remember anything after that. <br/>
"Alya?" His eyes finally opened to meet her hazel gaze, a bit closer than he was expected. Her hair tickled his lips. She looked... scared. Frazzled. Her eyes had deep circles, and it looked like she had been crying. When she spoke though, her voice was sweet and patient.</p><p><br/>
"Take it easy Adrien. You're injured, okay? You got hit and-" She bit her lip, her eyes flicking up and down his body. "Don't look down okay? Just look at me."<br/>
Without breaking eye contact, she moved the edges of a blanket up to his chest. It was only then that he felt the creeping cold. </p><p><br/>
"Alya..." he groaned through a hoarse voice. "I'm cold..."</p><p><br/>
"... Thats not a good sign." Her hand felt his forehead, and he shivered in response. </p><p><br/>
Adrien noticed two things. One, he could see Ladybug curtains behind Alya's hair. He was in her room. Secondly, she called him Adrien, and he couldn't help but notice he was detransformed, by holding up a grazed, ungloved hand to his face. It had sloppily put banages around his fingers, hiding... what? He couldn't tell. All he knew was that it hurt.</p><p><br/>
"I... my ring."</p><p><br/>
"It's right here next to me, don't worry. Just took it off to treat your hands." She comforted him, stroking his hair, golden strands tickling her finger tips. She glanced at the ring on her bedside table, strewn among the mess of first aid equipment. Chat... Adriens kwami hadn't made an appearance since she removed his ring. She made sure to keep it visible. God only knew what would happen if she lost it.</p><p><br/>
"Alya I'm so cold." His chest trembled, and tears pierced his tired eyes. They were hot against his face, and it turned the world into a distorted haze. There was a coldness that gripped his insides. Why did everything hurt so much? Every breath felt like trudging through snow, sludgy and sharp and crunchy.</p><p><br/>
Alya's face fell in desperation. Chat- Adrien was in worse shape than she had suspected. </p><p><br/>
"Hold my hand..." He reached out, weakly and blindly. </p><p>She took it softly. "I've got you sweet boy."</p><p><br/>
"I'm sorry Alya... I-" the coughing started again, hacking at his throat. The tears fell silently and quickly off his cheeks. Alya simply held his hand harder, closer. </p><p><br/>
Suddenly, he tried to get up, but she pushed him back reactively. "Ladybug-"</p><p><br/>
"-Has things under control. She's okay Chat, she's still fighting. She's not alone, you don't have to worry. Carapace, Ryuko, Queen Bee, they're all fighting with her."</p><p><br/>
"And Rena Rouge? Is she... ok?"</p><p><br/>
Alya bit her lip. "Yeah, she's out there fighting too. She's fine. You saved her."</p><p><br/>
His muscles relaxed a bit, allowing Alya to release a shallow breath of relief. </p><p><br/>
"I'm so cold Alya."</p><p><br/>
"Ladybug will win soon ok? And then all your injuries will go away, I promise." Her other fist was clenched, but she didn't let him see that. He was still bleary and weak and blood had stained the sheets. Her room felt frigid. She had closed the window and bundled him up as much as she could, but still the temperature dropped. Snow fell heavy outside, ice slowly taking over the building. </p><p><br/>
He moved his head slightly, holding her eyes. His sclera were red and bruises decorated his face like stamps on an envelope. His thumb smoothed out familiar small circles on her hands. "I... didn't mean for you to find out this way."</p><p><br/>
She smiled a tiny smile. Still, in this time, he thought of her. He was always thinking of her. "Its okay Adrien. I know why you had to hide it."</p><p><br/>
"Thank you." His eyes fluttered closed as his words slurred, and his hand went slightly limp. He was losing consciousness again. </p><p><br/>
Tears pricked her eyes. There was so much she wanted to say, but she held her tongue. Instead with his hand cupped in hers, she dropped her head and began to pray. </p><p><br/>
<em>Please hurry up Ladybug. Please.</em> </p><p><br/>
She surveyed his current state, the chilling spiderweb of veins on his torso creeping up his body, the icy tendrils freezing and molding  to his flesh. </p><p><br/>
<em>He's slipping.  </em>
</p><p><br/>
She eyed the frozen wound on her own limb, crawling up her leg like a disease. A choked sob left her throat. </p><p><br/>
<em>And I'm slipping too. </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you need to recover, theres a sister fic to this entry over in the Good Things Happen series called Sharing is Caring! All fluff!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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